A COURAGEOUS teenager who dreamed of becoming a dancer made the brave decision to have her leg amputated after developing a huge tumour.

Chanel Carter, aged 15, of Canley, was left heartbroken when she developed a rare bone condition and benign tumour on her right leg which meant she was unable to dance.

An operation to remove the tumour left it looking like “an elephant’s foot” and she was left in agony and could barely walk let alone dance.

Chanel made the agonising decision to have her leg removed in the hope she might be able to dance one day using a prosthetic limb.

And after just 11 months she has made a remarkable recovery. Not only is she walking she was even able to sign up for her school sports day.

Chanel said making the decision to have her leg amputated was very difficult but she did not regret it.

“My foot looked like an elephant’s foot and I couldn’t do any sport. I’m inspired by ballet and tap dancing – I love dance but I was in so much pain I had to have the operation,” she said.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, but I know it would have been so much worse if I had left it.

"It was really getting me down that I couldn’t do the things that my friends could do, and I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up with them whenever we went out together.

"But now I’m so glad I made the choice that I did – I can live the normal life I never would have been able to have if I still had my foot.”

Chanel was just 12 when she was diagnosed with desmoplastic fibroma, a rare condition which affected the growth bone in her right foot leaving her in agony whenever she walked.

Speaking about the operation, she said: “When I came round it didn’t feel strange at the time. I didn’t cry until I went to take a shower. That’s when reality hit me and I realised I haven’t got my leg anymore.

“But I knew that I had to live with my decision, and threw myself into learning to walk again.

"I haven’t cried since. Now I’m just pleased to be back on two feet.

"When I first had my prosthetic leg fitted I had to go to physio every week but I didn’t mind at all. I found learning to walk again quite easy and everyone was so supportive. I

"t made me want to work with disabled people when I’m older as a physiotherapist.”

Chanel, a pupil at Heart of England School, Balsall Common, has now been presented with a Diana Award, which are given to those who show determination and bravery.

She added: “My mum has been a huge support to me. She’s been there for me especially when I’ve been upset. I couldn’t have done it without her.”